1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for carrying mechanical, electrical, and/or chemical application devices, and/or identification information on the heads of animals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Livestock such as cattle, and some wildlife, particularly ruminants such as elk and deer, as well as other animals including pigs, horses, burros and other monogastrics, are currently controlled within defined inclusion zones (pastures/paddocks) by ground-based fencing. Wire is the most common modern conventional fencing material for controlling animals on large areas. Wire fencing requires attachment to a ground-based support, most commonly a wood, metal, concrete, plastic or synthetic polymer post. Insulators may be required between the wire and the post if electrical charge is to be carried in the wires.
The need for wire material and its subsequent support make wire fence expensive on a per lineal distance basis as a method of controlling free-ranging animals. Add to the cost of materials, the labor required to install the fence and additional labor required to maintain these structures and substantial economic costs are incurred using this method of animal control. In addition, ground-based fences have critical disadvantages above those associated with direct costs. Most ground-based fencing systems are not easily moved on a frequent basis and as such their static position on the landscape thwarts flexible management, especially those strategies focused on promoting proper utilization of the vegetation resource. Neither the vegetation resource nor the herbivory among ecosystems is static in time or space. Therefore, it logically follows that control of foraging animals on these ecosystems should likewise not be static. Fragile ecosystems, such as riparian areas, are not served well by conventional fencing systems that inhibit flexible management. These ecosystems require the flexible spatial and temporal control of animals which conventional fencing systems cannot provide on a cost affective basis. Furthermore, conventional wire fencing is considered by many to have undesirable aesthetic implications in addition to disrupting the movement of many wildlife species.
In the recent past, electronic-based containment systems have been described for several animal species, particularly pets and specifically canines. However, electronic devices for controlling livestock have also been described (Quigley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,956; Marsh, U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,100; Anderson and Hale, U.S. Pat. No. 6,232,880). All previously described electronic systems except for the methodology described by Anderson and Hale for controlling animal location require ground-based equipment in addition to devices attached to an animal. The ground-based transmitters are located at remote and fixed locations but always within range of the most-distant transponder in the system (Janning, U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,923). The transmitter emits a signal which is picked up by a receiver worn by the animal. Most systems relay on Radio Frequency (RF) signals generated from ground-based transmitters; however, some systems utilize near infrared (McCarney et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,381) or compressional wave beams (Bianco, U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,932). Frequently the receiver is attached to a collar (Gonda, U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,797) that is worn around the animal's neck. The aversive stimuli are either under manual or automatic ground-based control.
Depending on the skill of the human handler in interpreting and initiating stimulation, desirable changes in the behavior of the animal vary. The sequence of stimuli used to alter behavior in prior art occur in various combinations to condition the animal to give a reasonably predictable response to enhance the animal's safety and/or usefulness to the owner.
Only recently have RF signals emanating from satellites been incorporated into animal control devices but only to provide accurate information on animal location. The current uses of the Global Positioning System (GPS), especially in biology, appear to be focused on determining the location of animals or in Precision Agriculture on the agronomic application or removal of materials from fields. Using GPS as a technology to train animals has only been referenced by Files (Files, U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,433).
Sound and electric shock transducers apply the predominant forms of motivational stimuli. Acoustic audio stimuli include beeps (Custer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,687), whistles (Fury, U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,051) or a combination of sounds (Gonda et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,682) including the human voice (Yarnall, Sr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,882; Yarnall, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,850; Kim et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,116) used in conjunction with electrical shock in various patterned combinations (Gonda et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,482), sequences and durations.
Electric shock is normally administered from a single pair of electrodes. An attempt has been described for reducing the occurrence of spurious signals that could induce aversive stimuli to an animal when it was not requested by the handler (Touchton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,694). McDade et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,178) describes a shock collar that contains one fixed pair of electrodes and two individual electrodes that can be moved to different positions on the collar.
These prior art systems utilized acoustic stimuli in combination with electric shock without regard to applying them to a specific location and side of the animal, or from a specific platform, in order to change the animal's direction of movement. Furthermore, motivational stimuli in the art were not easily changed once established (Touchton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,271) and at best appeared limited to only a few preset levels (Gonda et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,482). For example, in one device the level of electric shock stimulation could only be varied by interchanging electrode structures having various resistances (Gonda et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,954). This limitation in prior art made it difficult if not impossible to change stimuli patterns in real-time based upon immediate management needs and conditions.
More recently, Anderson and Hale (U.S. Pat. No. 6,232,880) developed an improved animal control system that was attached to a free-ranging animal that is capable of changing the animal's location and direction of movement through one or a series of cues (aversive stimuli) administered bilaterally to either the right or left side of the animal's body and/or head. Control of an animal's direction of movement with this invention utilized the animal's instinctive tendency to move away from an uncomfortable or stress-inducing stimulus, and/or the ability of a subject animal to be trained or conditioned to move in a specific, predetermined direction in response to application of a stimulus on one selected side thereof. The cues are only administered when the animal attempts to leave a zone of inclusion and enter a zone of exclusion by penetrating a boundary separating the two zones.
The device of Anderson and Hale integrates a satellite positioning system such as the GPS with electro-mechanically bilaterally applied aversive stimuli such as acoustic sound, vibration, and/or electric shock. Sequential positions of a subject animal are monitored with the satellite positioning system, and these data are then used to determine the location of the animal and its direction of movement relative to the closest Virtual Center Line (VCL) that is the center of a Virtual Boundary (VB) in addition to the angle of incidence between the animal's direction of movement and the nearest VCL. When an animal attempts to leave a zone of inclusion defined by the VB, the device will cue the animal to change both its direction of movement and location based upon a repertoire of bilaterally applied aversive stimuli. Upon contacting or penetrating a VB, an aversive stimulus, or more preferably a cascade of aversive stimuli, will be applied autonomously to either the right or left side (bilateral stimulation) of the animal thereby inciting it to move in a direction away from the VCL and back into the zone of inclusion. The mechanical and electronic hardware of the Anderson and Hale device can be mounted on the animal using a variety of supports, including neck saddles or ear tags, as well as implants, collars, shoulder harnesses, saddles, or leg bands.
However, despite these and other advances, the need exists for an improved external and robust, functional platform for housing virtual fencing devices, especially the Directional Virtual Fencing (DVF) hardware and software of the Anderson and Hale system for monitoring and controlling animal movement.